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Plastic Surgery Glossary

A

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  • Abdominoplasty: A surgical procedure, also known as tummy tuck, to correct the apron of excess skin hanging over your abdomen.
  • Areola: Pigmented skin surrounding the nipple.
  • Augmentation mammaplasty: Breast enlargement by surgery.

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  • Bilateral gynecomastia: A condition of over-developed or enlarged breasts affecting both breasts in men.
  • Blepharoplasty: Eyelid surgery to improve the appearance of upper eyelids, lower eyelids or both.
  • Brachioplasty: A surgical procedure, also known as arm lift, to correct sagging of the upper arms.
  • Breast augmentation: Also known as augmentation mammaplasty; breast enlargement by surgery.
  • Breast lift: Also known as mastopexy; surgery to lift the breasts.
  • Breast reconstruction: Breast reconstruction is achieved through several plastic surgery techniques that attempt to restore a breast to near normal shape, appearance and size following mastectomy.
  • Breast reduction: Reduction of breast size and breast lift by surgery.
  • Brow lift: A surgical procedure to correct a low-positioned or sagging brow. Smoothes furrows across the forehead and between the brows.

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  • Capsular contracture: A complication of breast implant surgery which occurs when scar tissue that normally forms around the implant tightens and squeezes the implant and becomes firm.
  • Circumferential thigh lift: A surgical procedure to correct sagging of the outer and mid-thigh.
  • Collagen: A natural protein used as an injectable filler for soft tissue augmentation.

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  • DIEP flap: Deep Inferior Epigastric perforator flap which takes tissue from the abdomen.
  • Donor site: An area of your body where the surgeon harvests skin, muscle and fat to reconstruct your breast - commonly located in less exposed areas of the body such as the back, abdomen or buttocks.

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  • Endocrine system: A group of glands that make hormones which help to control activities in your body such as reproduction, metabolism, growth and development. Testing of your endocrine system may be done to look for signs of diabetes, thyroid disorders, growth hormone deficiency, osteoporosis, hypertension and obesity.
  • Excision: To remove the skin.

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  • Flap techniques: Surgical techniques used to reposition your own skin, muscle and fat to reconstruct or cover your breast.

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  • General anesthesia: Drugs and/or gases used during an operation to relieve pain and alter consciousness.
  • Grafting: A surgical technique to recreate your nipple and areola.

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  • Hematoma: Blood pooling beneath the skin.
  • Human fat: Harvested from your own body and used as an injectable filler for soft tissue augmentation.

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  • Injectable fillers: Substances used to restore volume and your youthful appearance.
  • Intravenous sedation: Sedatives are administered by injection into a vein to help you relax.

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  • Latissimus dorsi flap technique: A surgical technique that uses muscle, fat and skin tunneled under the skin and tissue of a woman's back to the reconstructed breast and remains attached to its donor site, leaving blood supply intact.
  • Lipoplasty: Another term for liposuction.
  • Liposuction: Also called lipoplasty or suction lipectomy, this procedure vacuums out fat from beneath the skin’s surface to reduce fullness.
  • Local anesthesia: A drug is injected directly to the site of an incision during an operation to relieve pain.
  • Lower body lift: Surgical procedure to correct sagging of the abdomen, buttocks, groin, and outer thighs.

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  • Mammogram: An x-ray image of the breast.
  • Mastectomy: The removal of a breast, typically to rid the body cancer.
  • Medial thigh lift: A surgical procedure to correct sagging of the inner thigh.
  • MRI: Magnetic resonance imaging; a painless test to view tissue similar to an x-ray.

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  • Nasolabial fold: Deep creases between the nose and mouth.

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  • PMMA: A widely used implant material formed into tiny microspheres and suspended in a collagen gel for use as a wrinkle filler.

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  • Reduction mammaplasty: The surgical removal of breast tissue to reduce the size of breasts.
  • Rhytidectomy: A surgical procedure, also known as facelift, to reduce sagging of the mid-face, jowls and neck.

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  • Saline implants: Breast implants filled with a salt water solution.
  • SGAP flap: Superior Gluteal Artery perforator flap, which takes tissue from the buttock.
  • Silicone implants: Breast implants filled with an elastic gel solution.
  • Skin resurfacing: Treatment to improve the texture, clarity and overall appearance of your skin.
  • Soft tissue augmentation: The use of injectable fillers to restore volume and your youthful appearance.
  • Suction lipectomy: Another term for liposuction.
  • Sutures: Stitches used by surgeons to hold skin and tissue together.

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  • Tissue expansion: A surgical technique to stretch your own healthy tissue and create new skin to provide coverage for a breast implant.
  • TRAM flap: Also known as transverse rectus abdominus musculocutaneous flap, a surgical technique that uses muscle, fat and skin from your own abdomen to reconstruct the breast.
  • Transaxillary incision: An incision made in the underarm area.
  • Tumescent or super-wet liposuction: Requires an infusion of saline solution with adrenaline and possibly anesthetic prior to removal of excess fat.
  • Tummy tuck: A surgical procedure to correct the apron of excess skin hanging over your abdomen.

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  • Unilateral gynecomastia: A condition of over-developed or enlarged breasts affecting just one breast in men.
  • Ultrasound: A diagnostic procedure that projects high-frequency sound waves into the body and changes the echoes into pictures.
  • Ultrasound-assisted lipoplasty: Uses ultrasonic energy to liquefy excess fat prior to surgical suctioning.